Identity Theft Scout specializes in providing you all the latest information to help you understand the threats of identity theft and protect yourself from them. We offer useful articles and links to products that keep you safe.

• Identity Theft happens every 22 seconds in the United States
• The financial and emotional toll can be devastating
• People often wish they had taken some simple steps to protect themselves

• Why Monitoring Your Child’s Internet Usage is Essential
• Learn The Crucial Role of Internet Safety in Parenting
• Protecting Your Child: The Need for Internet Monitoring

Cyber Crimes is a Growth Industry

• Rising Trends in Cybercrime
• How to Prevent Cybercrime: Strategies for Protection
• Take Password Security Seriously

The Coronavirus Pandemic and the arrival of Artificial Intelligence has changed the world. The new world order of remote workers and freelancers working from home has increased online cybersecurity risks.

Now you need to know how to protect yourself and your employer not only from cyberbullies and online harassment, but also from ransomware blackmailers who are often criminals after your identity, money, intellectual property, and data? This applies whether you are an individual, business or organization.

Make no mistake, there are criminals and sociopaths waiting to take advantage of you when you drop your guard. Knowledge and using the right processes and tools can help you build a shield to protect your data and identity. We will show you how.

With the advent of cybercriminals using Artificial Intelligence you are now more vulnerable to identity theft and the inconvenience and losses that can occur. We recommend you protect yourself from identity theft with this insurance:

Your service should have sandbox and backdoor inspection capabilities on the technical front, ensuring any suspicious activities are thoroughly analyzed and blocked. Regular automatic app updates are essential to close security loopholes and protect your PC from potential vulnerabilities. The service should also offer firewall integration to enhance overall security and deliver a next-generation antivirus that detects and eliminates threats effectively.

In part two of your requirements, you should seek a service that provides lightweight installation with smooth performance not to burden your system resources while offering top-tier protection. As a user, ease of use is crucial to you, so look for a service that has an intuitive interface and is easy to navigate. A reliable service provider should understand that not everyone is a cybersecurity expert, and accessibility is vital for all users to benefit from its protection. Get a free consultation with Heimdal Security by clicking HERE.

Rising Prevalence: The statistics are alarming. Every 22 seconds, an American falls victim to identity theft. This rapid rate signifies the advancement of technology and the sophistication of hackers and cybercriminals. As our society continues to become more interconnected with digital platforms, the vulnerability of personal information becomes a significant concern.

Financial and Emotional Toll: Beyond the immediate financial ramifications of identity theft—fraudulent charges, credit score reductions, and potential legal complications—victims often grapple with a profound emotional and psychological toll. The knowledge that a stranger can access personal details, financial records, or intimate information can be deeply unsettling, leading to stress, anxiety, and a diminished sense of personal security.

Proactive Defense: While there are steps individuals can take to safeguard their information, the intricate methods employed by identity thieves evolve constantly. Identity theft insurance provides an added layer of protection, ensuring that if one’s defenses are breached, there’s a safety net in place. This insurance can cover expenses related to restoring one’s identity, including legal fees and more, offering peace of mind in an increasing vulnerability in the Age of AI.

We will show you how to protect yourself from high-tech crooks. Did you know Machine Learning can be your partner in building your shield to protect yourself? “Machine learning (ML) is the study of computer algorithms that improve automatically through experience and by the use of data.[1] It is seen as a part of artificial intelligence (AI)” (Wikipedia).

To have the best cybersecurity you must know which software specialists have the best Research and Development investment in ML and AI to take on the hackers and win. Hackers are often sophisticated criminal organizations run as businesses. They also use ML and AI so your selection of the cybersecurity partners to build your shield is critical because they need the depth of resources to beat criminal organizations.  Helping you with the selection of your shield partners is our job.

We will show you from our research which software companies have the best research and development in their products’ AI and ML so that the algorithms of machine learning will detect new hackers’ threat variants and block them from getting into your computer.

For businesses, we recommend the following prudent risk management strategies: 

• Implementation of an action plan to comply with EU GDPR. See here.
• Compliance with the Information Security Management System Standard ISO 27001 with regular Penetration Testing. See here.
• If you have a business with a high volume of website traffic on which your customer service depends, we recommend a Distributed Denial of Service (DDOS) attack mitigation service. See here.
• Being able to access your data in case of a system failure whether from internal or external causes. We recommend having your own data recovery software available. See here.

One of the most frequent ways that personal and business identity theft occurs is by thieves accessing documents that have been disposed of inappropriately.  All documents that carry personal and business information that could possibly be used by criminals should be shredded.

We also recommend that you should use password manager software. This is particularly true of businesses. The annual survey of passwords being used by Splashdata showed that “people still continue to put themselves at risk for hacking and identity theft” by using weak passwords. You can read more about our recommendations on this subject here.

For businesses that are based in the European Union (EU) or have dealings with the identity information of EU residents by way of international trade, these businesses were required to comply with the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which came into operation on 25th May 2018. You can read more about the GDPR here, including how to get support.

You can purchase cyber security insurance if you are a business and personal identity theft insurance if you are an individual.

On a risk management basis for business, it is prudent to carry business cyber insurance cover due to the frequency of cyber-attacks. Your business’s insurance broker will be able to advise you on what is the most appropriate cover.

You can also purchase personal identity theft insurance protection. Basically, this is insurance on your identity that covers your name and social security number. Having insurance on your identity can save you lots of trouble and hundreds of dollars if your identity is ever stolen and you must try to clear your name and your debt.

Don’t make the mistake of assuming you don’t have anything worth stealing. Thieves are not only interested in people with great credit scores who have lots of money in the bank. They might be planning to rack up a painfully high amount of credit card debt in your name.

Even though credit card identity theft gets the most press, it is not the only kind. No matter how bad your credit score is, a thief can still use your name for a driver’s license or for tax purposes.

In March 2021 the authoritative Forbes magazine published an article by Chuck Brooks entitled “Alarming Cybersecurity Stats: what you need to know for 2021”. In the article, it was stated that it is expected that by 2025 cybercrime would cost the world USD10.5 trillion annually. This was only one alarming statistic! You can read the Forbes article by clicking here.

It is no longer an acceptable risk for a business not to have the Information Security Management System Standard ISO 27001 (or equivalent) in place. Losses from cyber security breaches are a clear and present danger as an operational business risk. Our goal is to help you become aware of the risks and to manage them better by referring you to appropriate professionals.

On an individual level, identity theft is a very serious problem, even though the chances may appear that you would not become a victim because it always happens to someone else. This is a mistake that can be costly in time and money.

It is important that you have identity theft protection so that you are not gambling on the fact that your personal information will never be stolen. You don’t want the consequences of a stolen identity, and you have to be ready to identify the ever-increasing flood of scams.

Through this Identity Theft Scout website, I will share information about the growing problems with identity theft and the protective measures to take.

For Business:

• European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
• Data Recovery Services
• Penetration Testing
• DDOS Mitigation Services

For Individuals:

• What is identity theft and how it occurs
• Identity theft prevention
• Types of identity theft to guard against
• Identity theft fraud
• Identity theft software
• Laptop security
• Computer hacking

…and much more.

Browse through this website and check the sitemap for a full list of pages and topics, and quick links to access them.

Take care,